Final Push Is On, No Doubt About It

With Election Day, November 8th, just 13 days away, candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump acknowledged last week there’s no further time for distractions (like debates) and other stuff, so let’s get out there, face to face with the voters and get the message across to “be out there and be sure to vote for me, and make sure your friends and neighbors are gonna be out there too to vote for me.”

Democrat Clinton and Republican Trump put everything else aside last week, and set their schedules to forget the long speeches and start the face-to-face effort to get the vote out on election day because this is when and where your supporters are going to be (at the polls) to pull the lever alongside your name on the ballot to get you elected.

All the talk on the Sunday morning talk shows this week was about the same thing – the dilemmas facing voters this year – Hillary’s emails and Trump’s reported dalliances with women, for starters. The candidates were ready with their answers: Hillary pleading that she’s already explained to Congress she didn’t violate any secrecy guidelines; Trump, meanwhile, saying that all the charges made against him will be addressed after the election when he sues all the complainants.

This is an especially sensitive problem for Republicans who cite Clinton’s favorable polls and point out that, if they turn out to be true then many other Republicans on the ballot could lose and the party could lose some of the gains it has made in Congress where they presently control both houses.

Trump himself took a big step to block Clinton at the polls on November 8th, he has explained – he has set up a new website to reach his supporters and get out his vote on election day, and beyond that if necessary after election day.

According to stories that appeared in the Friday, October 21 editions of The Times and The Post, Trump’s new website was up and running when he and Clinton engaged in their final debate on October 19th. The new Trump website was too late to help Trump in the debate but afterward, he took a strong stance, refusing to promise he would shake Clinton’s hand if the ballot count throughout the 50 states clearly shows her to be the winner. In that case, if there’s any chance to challenge the vote count, we think Trump will take some action.

Keep in mind, he’s been pushing this “rigged election” charge for most of this year, and calling his opponent “crooked Hillary,” so it wouldn’t be such a large step to challenge the election results if he feels he’s got a chance to be declared the winner.

The only precedent we can recall, was in the 2000 election to choose the winner who would become president beginning in the year 2001. The candidates were George W. Bush, Republican, against Al Gore, Democrat. We’re not going to depend on our memory and pinpoint the cause, but the final result was challenged and the case was taken to the US Supreme Court and it was decided that Bush was the winner. Sadly, Gore became the fall guy and he disappeared from the national political scene thereafter.

Could Trump be thinking along those lines? Very definitely, we think. Money’s no object for Trump to try to create some excuse to make a move. Why at this late date, 13 days before the vote, would Trump set up a website that could easily put him in touch with his supporters? We’re not accusing him of doing anything illegal to screw up the election. We just think he would take some action possibly, if there was legal way to challenge the outcome.

CROWLEY, PERALTA, MOYA ON ANOTHER POSSIBLE HOTEL-HOMELESS SHELTER: “In a troubling development, it has come to our attention that yet another hotel within our districts has been earmarked by the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to be partially converted into a shelter for the homeless. In sharp contrast to other facilities in the area currently housing homeless families, we have learned that the Courtyard by Marriott, located at 90- 10 Ditmars Boulevard, has potentially been slated to house a population of up to sixty homeless single men. As with prior occasions, DHS has completely failed to inform both elected officials and community members of their plans to house any individuals in this facility. Last month, we became aware of the Department’s efforts to introduce homeless residents to the Holiday Inn Express, located at 113-10 Horace Harding Expressway, also located within our electoral districts. Again, these plans were implemented without any community involvement. While our communities remain very sympathetic to the ongoing issue of homelessness in New York, it is true that we have already carried our fair share of this problem by hosting no less than five shelters in our neighborhoods. We will fiercely continue in our opposition to additional shelter facilities within the area. Simply put, DHS must work to solve the pervasive issues of homelessness through ongoing dialogue with affected communities and their elected officials. Continued unilateral action by DHS fails to provide any measure of a meaningful framework for a long-term solution to these problems.”

AVELLA ANNOUNCES RETURN OF SNOW REMOVAL PROGRAM FOR SENIORS: State Senator Tony Avella (D–College Point) announced that his “Snow Removal for Seniors” program, which provides snow removal for senior citizens, will return for its fourth year. As winter approaches, the program is currently seeking volunteers willing to assist those in need.

Every winter, Avella helps senior citizens battle harsh winter storms with help from volunteers in their neighborhoods and his staff. Avella launched this program in 2012 to prevent seniors from overexerting or injuring themselves while removing snow from their property.

“I am excited to announce my fourth annual ‘Snow Removal for Seniors’ program. With winter just on the horizon, we need as many people as possible to volunteer themselves for this valuable service. Many seniors are forced to put themselves at risk of injury in order to clear snow and can even risk fines should they not be able to. I ask that anyone willing to assist to call my office and help make winters easier on our seniors,” said Avella.

Volunteers of all ages can contact the Senator’s office directly at 718-357-3094. Student volunteers will receive 10 hours of community service credit.

PERALTA: SEX OFFENDER REMOVED FROM CORONA SHELTER: State Senator Jose Peralta released the following statement regarding the removal of a sex offender from a hotel partially converted into a family homeless shelter:

“I want to thank the Department of Homeless Services and the Administration for quickly and swiftly removing a sex offender from the Holiday Inn Express in Corona, a hotel partially converted into a family homeless shelter. It is my hope that the City agency improves its vetting practice to make sure this kind of situation does not happen again.”